By: Qintian Zhang. Originally published in January 2022. Edited version.
Recruiting can be a long process. It’s never too early to start, and the more time you give yourself, the less stressful the process will be. To begin, it’s important to reflect on the types of jobs you’re interested in. A great place to start this is to meet with people who are in the fields you’re interested in and ask them questions about what it’s really like to work in those fields.
*****
August, September
This is when full-time applications open up (for those looking to graduate) and summer internship postings open up (for those staying in school another year).
If you just finished up your internship, some companies may give you a return offer. Depending on the company, decision deadlines may be relatively quick. You can always ask for an extension (though, be mindful they do not have to grant you one). As you are considering your return offer, you can schedule an appointment with the Career Center to discuss and reflect on your options.
You will want to apply to the company listings as soon as you can so you can start their interview process. An interview process with a company can take anywhere from 2-10 weeks, so it’s best to hit the ground running. You will also likely be getting OAs (online assessments) during this time. It’s best to complete those as soon as you get them so you can continue in the interview process.
Along with applying to company listings, it is important to network with industry professionals at companies including alumni, professionals in departments of interest, and recruiters/hiring managers. The search process is about who you know, so networking can open the door to learning about internal opportunities through relationship-building.
It can be very difficult for all of your offers to line up at the same time given the varying processes and deadlines for each company. If you don’t hear back from a company you were hoping to hear back from, try to contact the recruiter or hiring manager at the company and ask them about the status of your application.
October, November
This is when the bulk of your interviews will occur. If you’re applying to internships, most of these will be via phone and rarely will you have an on-site. Some companies that do on-sites for interns are Microsoft, Bloomberg, and Two Sigma. If you’re applying for new-grad roles, you will likely have a few rounds of phone interviews followed by a “super day” on-site.
If you’re getting offers for internships, congratulations! If you find one you like, you can just go ahead and accept it. If there’s still a company you want to work for, but you have expiring offers, try to extend them. You can meet with a career advisor to discuss your options and develop a plan for next steps, including asking for an offer extension.
If you’re getting multiple offers for full-time work, you may be in a better position to negotiate your salary. The ability for a company to match other, more competitive offers will all depend on the range they are approved to work within for that particular position. Once you accept an offer, remember to withdraw your active applications and decline any previously scheduled interviews. By accepting an offer, you are committing to that company, and it would be inconsiderate and unprofessional to continue the job search as your decision impacts Duke’s relationship with the company and your professional reputation.
December, January
By December, the bulk of the interview process has finished for larger companies. If you have an internship by now, great! If you still haven’t accepted an offer yet and still have some on the table or are still interviewing, just keep going ahead with those.
Larger companies may have a very structured recruitment process that will likely move very quickly (with the focus in the Fall).
For smaller companies and startups, opportunities are likely to come up throughout the spring semester and even during the first few weeks of summer break.
February, March, April
Continue your search process in early to mid Spring if you have not yet accepted an offer. Many companies, including startups, will post opportunities directly to their website.
If you have something lined up for the summer, it’s a good time to start reading up on what you’ll be doing for your internship. If you don’t have anything lined up, it’s a great time to start grinding technical interview problems and trying to expand your professional network to include companies and contacts that align with your goals, skills, and values.
May
If you’re still looking for a summer internship, step up your networking game by reaching out to contacts that align with your goals, skills, and values. Get to know more people in the field so that you can expand your network for future searches and, see if any last-minute opportunities present themselves.
Begin thinking about how to gain experience beyond an internship. Yes, internships are a popular way to gain work experience, but they are not the only way. You can develop your skills through volunteer work, experiential programs (like Code+, Data+, CS+), or even research in an area of interest. Not to mention, there is always open-source projects or personal projects. All of which help you develop your skills and add to your resume.
June, July
If you’re doing an internship, have fun! Make sure to try to expand your professional network and learn as much as you can while you’re there. Don’t take on too much outside of work.
If you didn’t secure anything for the summer, that’s OK. This is when you can really refine your technical and behavioral skills to ace any interviews you will be getting very soon. This is also a good time to make final adjustments to your resume as well as compile a list of companies you will want to apply to. Again, it’s never too early to start networking. (And don’t forget additional experiential options listed above.)
And the cycle continues!
*****
I can’t stress this enough — it’s a process. And things can change: companies can adjust their timelines and process from year to year and opportunities may show up Spring that you were hoping to see in the Fall. While this is a general guide of things, there are always exceptions.
There are tons of skilled applicants in Tech and Data, which makes it seem difficult to get opportunities. However, there are always more jobs that are suitable for you than you expect. Just make sure to keep your head up and continue the process, and you will get there!
